Del Boy falling through the bar voted funniest sitcom scene ever - this is what else made top 10

Geraldine falling into a puddle in The Vicar of Dibley, Basil Fawlty smashing his car with a tree branch, and Captain Mainwaring’s “Don’t tell him, Pike!” scene in Dad’s Army also featured in the list.

The research, which polled 2,000 British adults and children – aged 8 – 16, was specially commissioned by TV channel GOLD to celebrate its 30th birthday.

The Top 10 funniest sitcom moments of all time, according to Brits:

1 Only Fools and Horses – Del Boy falls through bar

2 Vicar of Dibley – Geraldine falls into a puddle

3 Dad’s Army – “Don’t Tell Him Pike”

4 Fawlty Towers – Basil smashes his car

5 Inbetweeners – “Car Friend”

6 Gavin and Stacey – Smithy’s curry order

7 The Office – David Brent’s dancing

8 Ab Fab – Falling out the cab

9 Blackadder – Lord Flashheart’s entrance

10 Father Ted – Cows and perspective

Of those surveyed, eight in 10 children said they thought classic sitcom clips were still funny today, and three-quarters of children said they enjoyed watching comedies like Only Fools and Fawlty Towers with their parents or grandparents

Nine in ten British adults said top TV moments from sitcoms such Vicar of Dibley, Dad’s Army and The Office are still as funny today as when they first aired on television.

The research also revealed Only Fools and Horses to be the nation’s favourite comedy sitcom of all time, claiming 29 percent of the vote. Del Boy was named as the most-loved sitcom character, with 59 percent of respondents in agreement, followed by Basil Fawlty.

Following the research, TV channel GOLD has recreated three of the nation’s favourite scenes with children in the lead roles, reflecting the timeless nature of these iconic sitcoms.

Shot in varying locations across London and Hertfordshire, the clips have been recreated by UKTV Creative with a cast of children between the ages of nine and 13.

The scenes were shot in the same style to make them as true to the originals as possible, and the children were specially chosen for their comedy timing and acting

The first scene recreation shows nine-year-old Thomas Aitch playing Only Fools and Horses’ Del Boy. The cheeky chap is joined by Dane Young as Trigger, where Del Boy falls through an open bar when trying to impress a group of women.

Secondly, Grace Hindle stars as Geraldine Granger, the Vicar of Dibley lead character made famous by Dawn French. The 12-year-old takes a walk along a country lane before falling chest-deep into an unseen puddle, with Stanley Potter playing Simon who helps her out of this side-splitting situation.

In the final recreation of Fawlty Towers, which was shot on location in the very spot where John Cleese made it famous. Thirteen-year-old Conall Turner stars as Basil as he gets increasingly frustrated by his car not starting.

Thomas, who stars as Del Boy in the Only Fools and Horses scene recreation, said: “I had so much fun doing this scene, I had to fall so many times. I love Only Fools and Horses.”

The newly shot videos will be aired on GOLD. Catch an all-time classic British sitcom every night this month at 10pm on Gold.